Motoring Memories

Motoring Memories: Edsel

December 16, 2004

1959 Edsel Corsair. Click image to enlarge

Story and photo by Bill Vance

No automotive name exemplifies failure quite as powerfully as Edsel, built by the Ford Motor Company from 1957 to 1959. The Chrysler/DeSoto Airflow models may come the closest.

It could perhaps be said that the Edsel’s roots were planted before the Second World War II. General Motors’ president, Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. had cleverly crafted a hierarchy of cars designed to lure buyers up the success ladder from the starter Chevrolet to, ultimately, the prestige of a Cadillac.

Edsel Ford, the original Henry’s only child, who became the Ford Motor Company’s titular president in 1919, observed the wisdom of the GM strategy. Ford had been locked into a one-model strategy since 1908, and although the Model T was a fabled car, it was becoming obsolete. Edsel felt that diversity was needed, and in 1922 he convinced his father that they should buy the Lincoln Motor Company to expand their line. This gave Ford products at both ends of the automotive spectrum.

When the 1930s came and the Depression was killing luxury car sales, Lincoln introduced a more affordable model called the Lincoln Zephyr in 1936, which filled out the line a little more.

Then in 1939, the corporation added the Mercury, really a deluxe Ford, to further expand its offerings.

After the war Ford launched the successful new 1949 Ford model. Then in 1955 it added the sporty Ford two-seater Thunderbird to answer Chevrolet’s Corvette. But Ford management, still aspiring to go model for model with GM, decided that it needed more mid-market strength to compete with makes like Pontiac, Oldsmobile and Buick, as well as Chrysler’s Dodge and DeSoto.

This was the genesis of the “E-car,” as it was coded. All the signs looked good, although some company officials questioned the need for another medium-priced car; Ford already had the Mercury, and in Canada, a Mercury clone called the Monarch. But the naysayers were overcome. Optimism was strong, and in 1955 Detroit enjoyed its best sales year in history.

To demonstrate its seriousness about the E-car, Ford established a separate division for it. First year production was confidently projected at 200,000 in five plants. Although the new car wouldn’t appear until the fall of 1957, public announcements began as early as August, 1956.

A name was needed for the new car, so Ford launched an extensive name-the-car program. Among some 8,000 entries came these gems from a New York poetess: Resilient Bullet, Mongoose Civique, Varsity Stroke, and even the Utopian Turtletop.

Also among the finalists were Ranger, Pacer, Corsair and Citation. Although these names would later be used as series designations, they were not considered expansive enough for the car itself. Finally the name Edsel was raised. The Ford family had vetoed the idea earlier, but after much persuasion they agreed, and the new car became the Edsel.

Meanwhile, an important change was taking place in the automobile market. Fords, Chevrolets and Plymouths were getting larger and more powerful, and were beginning to eat into the medium-priced market. In 1957, sales of Chrysler’s DeSoto, which was only four years away from extinction, were off more than 50 percent, followed by Mercury and Dodge which were just about as bad. Buick and Oldsmobile were also down significantly.

To makes matters worse, by the time the 1958 Edsel was introduced in September, 1957, an economic recession was getting under way. It was a far cry from the optimism of 1954 when the project had been conceived.

Then there was the matter of styling. Although in retrospect the Edsel’s general styling was tasteful enough compared with the chrome-laden GM cars, most people didn’t get past the front end. This was dominated by a three-piece grille, the most prominent feature of which was an oblong, vertical opening with a smaller egg-shaped insert. The grille was quickly dubbed a “horse collar,” or even worse, “an Oldsmobile sucking a lemon.”

Other factors were against the Edsel. Buyers weren’t thrilled with the transmission selector buttons in the steering wheel hub. And the Edsel suffered some quality problems because it lacked its own production facilities. It was being built on Ford and Mercury assembly lines, inserted in among the regular models, and line-workers didn’t welcome this misfit which used different parts.

The result of all this was that instead of the hoped-for minimum 100,000 sales of the ’58 Edsel, only 63,110 ’58s were built. In an attempt to perk up sales for 1959, the line was simplified by dropping the Pacer and Citation, leaving only the Ranger and Corsair. The horse collar grille was softened, and a six-cylinder engine joined the V-8s. There was no turning it around, however; model-year sales declined to 44,891.

Although a restyling was done for 1960, which replaced the ill-fated grille with a split one resembling the Pontiac’s, the Edsel was really finished. Production ended on Nov. 19, 1959, after only 2,846 1960 models had been built.

Ford had been caught in the crossfire of several factors: a declining medium-car market; a recession; some quality problems; and generally unacceptable styling.

The Edsel was not significantly worse than its competitors; it just couldn’t overcome these forces. Its name is now inextricably linked with failure.